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Brant Henson takes a look at three teams that should have made the NCAA Tournament field of 68 this year but were snubbed by the selection committee.
The bracket is set, and 2025’s edition of the NCAA Tournament is set to tip off with the First Four in Dayton on Tuesday. This year more than others in recent memory, there has been a lot of chatter around the teams selected to compete in sports’ greatest postseason.
North Carolina athletic director and committee chairman Bubba Cunningham’s Tar Heels will take the court on Tuesday, to much scrutiny of college basketball fans. While they are a traditional powerhouse, UNC had a very poor season that resulted in a 1-12 Quad-1 record. Despite poor metrics and holding no impressive wins, they were given the chance to compete for a national title over arguably more deserving teams.
Joining the Tar Heels (22-13, 13-7 ACC) as the bubble teams to earn bids were San Diego State (21-9, 14-6 Mountain West), Texas (19-15, 6-12 SEC), and Xavier (21-11, 13-7 Big East). Which teams deserved bids but ended up missing out on the big dance?
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West Virginia (19-13, 10-10 Big 12)
Potentially the most surprising miss in NCAA Tournament history, the West Virginia Mountaineers were not even considered a bubble team on Selection Sunday. Bracketologists all over America had Darian DeVries’ team locked into the field and not a soul thought they would have to sweat out their spot.
Ultimately, they did not hear their name called on Sunday. Their omission from the field of 68 was so bad that they are suing the NCAA over not making it into the big dance.
The Mountaineers finished with a 6-10 Quad-1 record, miles ahead of UNC’s 1-12 mark. They own wins over Gonzaga, Arizona, Kansas, and Iowa State. While they did play their best ball early on in the season, they did enough to earn a bid to the dance. Or so we thought.
Indiana (19-13, 10-10 Big Ten)
Sort of the anti-West Virginia, the Hoosiers were playing their best ball late in the season. Indiana had no bad losses, with all 13 coming in Quad-1. Their last two months of the season included a blowout win over Purdue, a road win over Michigan State, and a win over Ohio State in a game that was largely considered a win-and-in matchup.
Mike Woodson’s squad stacked the resume late, but it still was not enough in the Tar Heel blue eyes of committee chair Cunningham. Onto the offseason for the Hoosiers, who will commence their coaching search and refrain from any postseason tournaments.
Boise State (24-10, 14-6 Mountain West)
Boise State finished the season 3-6 in Quad-1 games. The knock on their resume was a few bad losses, as they lost two Quad-2 games, and a Quad-3 and Quad-4 game. The Broncos were firmly on the bubble and many had them ahead of San Diego State, whom they had beaten head-to-head in the conference tournament on their journey to the title game.
Alas, it turned out that the Mountain West title game was truly a win-and-in situation for both Boise and Colorado State. While they were a true bubble team and probably should have been behind West Virginia and Indiana, there was an argument to put them ahead of both UNC and San Diego State.
